Fading Away
by whollistic8and8hopeless
Summary: OOC.Robert leaves Giselle and is ensnared in Narissa's evil plots. Is she just a noble queen trying to save Volrutisia, whatever the cost? Will Giselle be able to heal? Or will she turn into the arms of another forever? Much better aligned story. Rated M.
1. Chapter 1

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hey guys! lol this is my new story i hope you like it! the plot isn't so clear now but i promise it'll get better!

i don't own Enchanted... /

pls read and review!!

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"Robert? What are you trying to tell me?" Giselle asked timidly, her voice shaking on every word. Robert stared into her eyes, pain etched across both of their worn faces.

It was late at night, and Morgan was sound asleep in the next room of Robert and Giselle's flat. They had to strain their voices into whispers as to not wake Morgan up. It was hard for Giselle who normally had a chirpy and lovely voice. Now, it was raspy and low, not at like how it sounded when she first met and fell in love with Robert.

"I-I'm trying to say that, we can't be together anymore," Robert whispered. They were standing face to face in their bedroom. He walked across the room and held Giselle's arms. She was trying to get away from his pleading grasp, but her soft and petite frame was no match against his big and strong arms.

"I don't believe you! Let me go, Robert! You promised me a happy ever after! You promised me…" When Giselle couldn't fight Robert off anymore, she resorted to sinking into his broad chest and listening to his fast heart beat, trying to see if his heart would tell her the truth—that he still loved her.

"Please, Giselle," Robert's voice broke as he caressed her long auburn hair. "Please know that I'm doing this to protect you. I wish I could find an easier way to explain this to you. I just want you to be safe."

"Nowhere is safer for me than it is with you, Robert. I love you!" Giselle broke off their embrace and stared intently in his eyes. His furrowed brow added to his age and Giselle thought he looked much, much older.

"Do you still love me?" Giselle brought her hand to her chest and held it.

Robert was silent for a while before he moved to their closet. He was rummaging for something underneath all hanging clothes. He brought out a huge black traveling bag and started loading his clothes from his drawers.

Giselle was shocked by what he was doing and didn't even want to ask what he was doing, or why he was doing it. She just knew that a hole started to burn in the middle of her chest.

By the look on Robert's face, she could tell that he didn't like what he was doing, and she couldn't figure out why a person would do something they clearly didn't want to do. Why was he leaving her?!

Was it her cooking? Did he not like the new suits she sewed for him at her office? Was she a bad mother-figure for Morgan?

When Robert zipped up his bag, he started for the bedroom door. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying and didn't look like he wanted to fight anymore. Giselle rushed to the door and blocked it with her body and arms against the wood. She was shaking her head and tears streamed down her ivory face.

"Please don't Robert. Think of Morgan! Think of me!" Giselle's voice was heart breaking. She was pleading and begging with all her heart that Robert almost fainted of how much pain he was causing the both of them.

When her last line didn't work, she rushed to him and held his head with her small hands. She tiptoed so that she could reach his lips with hers and she kissed him lovingly, letting him know that she would never ever stop loving him.

Robert was lost in his passion that he was holding back against Giselle. He dropped his bag on the floor with a thud and wrapped his arms around her waist. She instinctively snaked her own arms around his neck for a better angle. She deepened their kiss, swirling her tongue around his, and Robert emitted a low groan from the back of his throat.

Just then, Robert pulled away, licking his lips and shaking his head. He moved away from Giselle, towards the door and Giselle was glued to the spot.

She was just as shocked as when he denied their kiss so long ago, after their first quarrel. She heard the main door close softly and she turned around.

She darted out the apartment, barefooted, and reached for the elevator which had just closed.

"No," Giselle ran for the stairs and stumbled a few times, cutting her sole open. She reached the ground floor and rushed outside the building, ignoring the doorman who graciously saluted her.

It was raining hard outside, and Giselle was in her favorite sleeping attire: Robert's big pajamas.

She squinted through the pouring rain and made out a taxi with a passenger just getting in, across the street.

"Robert!" she screamed, anguish tearing at her throat. She never knew pain like this.

He pretended not to hear her heart-wrenching scream for his name and climbed into the taxi. She ran across the street as the taxi started to move. She ran after it, blisters forming on her feet; hair obstructing her view.

"Robert!" she stopped running and knelt on the middle of the street, not caring who saw her in that condition.

She bent forward hugged her abdomen, trying not to throw up on the road, in the rain.

She wanted the rain to wash her existence away. She was nothing without her Robert and she wished that the howling wind would carry her away back to Andalasia where naivety and innocence roamed free.

She started to shiver vigorously and decided it was time to go back to the apartment. She was drenched as she walked slowly into the elevator, and pushing the button of her floor.

A man was riding on the elevator with her and shot her a curious and concerned look.

"Miss, are you going to be alright?" he asked.

"Never," she replied, a harsh, monotonous ring to her voice. The elevator gave a shudder and opened its doors to her floor. She walked out, like a zombie that just walked and walked, but had no intention of going anywhere.

She opened the door to her home and inferred that Morgan was still sleeping. She removed her clothes and didn't bother changing into something dry.

Nothing would warm her now that her beacon of light burned out. She closed the bedroom lights and crawled into bed. She closed her eyes and let the pain take over her. She cried herself to sleep knowing for sure that nothing would ever be alright again.

hope you like it for what wretched chapter it is...o.O


	2. Chapter 2

See?? I told you guys would have a lot of comments about the other chapter! Lady Dulcina, here is where we get to understand why Robert left…

and YES, prindragon (who is my forum mate—aka fellow Meerkat—in EAA, hii!!) Giselle as a support group…and maybe something else…

Sonny! My other brotha from anotha motha! (Meerkat again…) thank you for ur comments…I loved that line too you know what im talking about :P :P

don't worry guys! This chapter will hopefully answer all of ur questions and concerns about my first chapter….which might be more of an prologue now… o.O anyway….

I don't own Enchanted…tho I would love to meet Amy Adams one day

Now, on with it!

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_"Robert? What are you trying to tell me?" _The scene just moments ago had played-back in Robert's mind as he rode in the taxicab that drove him into the long and winding night of endless rain.

Silent tears escaped his eyes as he winced at the sound of both their hearts being broken at her question. He put his head in his hands.

"_Do you still…love me?"_ If Robert's legs weren't standing upright, he would have melted into putty at the agonizing pain that he was putting them through

_Oh Giselle, I still love you!_ He screamed in his mind, trying to convince himself more than telling the imaginary Giselle in his mind.

He gripped his hair from his scalp and held tightly until the scalding pain caused more tears to leak from his closed eyes. He rocked himself back and forth to try and comfort his empty shell of a man. He was nothing anymore; nothing would ever be the same.

"Don't push yourself too hard, Robert. You did a good job," smirked the cab driver from the rearview mirror. Robert recognized the deep and enigmatic voice of a woman anywhere.

The driver was no driver at all, but it was Prince Edward's stepmother who had come to New York City to redeem herself of her throne. Much to her demise, her plan foiled and she vowed to take revenge on the girl who started it all.

Robert looked up from his cradled position with his red and puffy eyes darting at the mirror. All feelings of enmity boiled up inside of him and almost felt more powerful than the black hole that was warping all of his insides until he felt nothing anymore.

"I've done what you've asked me to do," Robert's voice came out raspy and guttural from all the fluids gathering at the back of his throat. He felt dehydrated.

"Please, please let me go," he begged as his voice shuddered into moans of tears and broken love.

"And let you run back to your precious, little, squeaking mouse? What do you take me for? An idiot?" Narissa threw her head back slightly, keeping her eyes on the road before her, and laughed her malicious and sadistic laugh. Chills shot through Robert's skin.

"No, I have a better plan for you, dear Robert. You are coming with me to another portal hole, which leads to my secret lair. There I shall let your insanity of love take over you, and torture you until you _beg _for me to kill you,"

She laughed again and this time Robert tried to get out of the taxi. He reached for the door handle before sparks of purple and green shot at his fingertips and sent shocks of electricity up his arm. He was immobilized.

He screamed for help at the passers-by that just whizzed on by the taxi as Narissa was pushing the speed limit.

He saw her twirl her index finger in the air, and an invisible rope gagged Robert and caused him to shriek in agony.

"Nothing can save you now," were the last things Robert heard her say before he collapsed on the backseat of the taxi cab that would take him to his imminent destiny—a destiny without his true love.

Narissa swerved into an abandoned alley which led to an emptier street. She stopped the cab in the middle of the road. She got out and heaved Robert onto the pavement. He landed with a thud although he didn't stir.

Narissa uttered a few magical words and a pothole appeared a few inches from where Narissa's feet were. She shoved Robert in and jumped into the portal which would lead to a new world.

­-o**O**o-

"Giselle? Mommy, wake up." Morgan whispered in Giselle's ear and nudged her softly until Giselle's red-rimmed eyes opened with exhaustion.

Morgan looked up to Giselle as her mother and wanted to form a habit of calling her 'mommy' because she really meant that much to Morgan.

What puzzled her now was why she was alone on the bed. Her father's suitcase was still on his desk and he didn't write her a note saying what arrangements would take place when school ended in the afternoon.

"Where's Daddy?" Morgan gave a quizzical but innocent look to Giselle. She obviously hadn't heard anything last night and didn't hear her parents storm out of the apartment.

At the mention of Morgan's term of endearment, Giselle buried her face into her pillow and soaked it with fresh hot tears that were streaming from her eyes.

Morgan instinctively climbed onto the bed and laid beside Giselle hugging her tightly, trying to stop her from shuddering and crying.

Giselle didn't know how long Morgan and she laid like that but it must have been a while because Morgan's hug loosened and faint snores crept out of her little body.

Giselle didn't want to lie to Morgan about her father but at the same time, she didn't want her to face the truth Giselle was crumbling from now and risk traumatizing the little girl. Both parents walking out on her was too much for a child to have to bear.

She gently removed Morgan's arms and got up slowly as to not create creaking sounds with the cold floorboards under her blistered feet. She winced at the throbbing pain that radiated from her feet, signaling her to stop applying pressure on her soles.

But the nauseating and dizzying pain that racked Giselle's mind was far more excruciating than her feet. She felt like the room was spinning and that her stomach would empty its contents right there on the floor.

She held her stomach to keep from throwing up and waited until her body adjusted to the upright position she was in. She walked to the closet and pulled on a big shirt she wore for cleaning the house, and looked back at Morgan who was sound asleep in the middle of the bed.

She looked so peaceful that Giselle suddenly felt angry at Ro--_him­_ (she found it too unbearable to even speak his name) for wreaking havoc into the already happy life of his seven-year old daughter.

Giselle mouthed "I love you," to Morgan and walked out of the room. The place was still the same since the very first time she was brought there. The New York sunlight filled the living room area with garish illumination that Giselle had to squint to adjust to the lighting.

She felt like she lost a ton of weight just by crying. And each time she cried, the hole in her chest grew bigger. She a living person, but only in standard; her love had seeped out and she was a hollow body.

She walked into the kitchen and drank water to try and suppress the memories of _him_ and her together.

As she was drinking, she lost control and her thoughts wandered over the night that they had spent kissing and caressing each other in the kitchen.

Her mind flashed at the vivid details of that memory: she was sitting atop the kitchen counter, Robert in between her legs; he was kissing her all over her neck and face causing her to emit soft whimpers of pleasure; she returned the favor by roaming her hands inside his shirt, and trailing passionate scratch marks all over his back.

Giselle doubled over and almost broke the glass when she spit out the gulp of water she just took in. She had to cover her mouth to avoid waking Morgan with her cries and ended up wobbling to the kitchen floor where she laid against the drawers in a fetal position and short hard breaths escaped her mouth as she hyperventilated.

The cold water pooled around her and she brought her arms and legs closer to the warmth of her body. She closed her eyes.

ohhh how i torture thee with thy flaming cliffies! xD!! told you it would get-a little- better... o.O what do u guys think?


	3. Chapter 3

here is chapter 3...hope it satisfies the want you guys seem to be getting from my stories

forgive me if i don't update soon because i am going to have to update my other story and then after tomorrow, i'm going on a leadership workshop and i'll be gone 'til saturday...i'll update this then. i'm really sorry! i don't want to have to do this but yeah...c'est la vie right? sigh

i don't own Enchanted...tho i would love to visit Andalasia someday...

pls read and review fanfickers...and Meerkats! im so happy that we know each other here too!! we seem to be Amy's strongest fan group lollololol jkjk.

ok, on with it!

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_She looks so beautiful and serene. The way she scrunched up her nose when she reads that book I gave Morgan right before we met her. I just want to hold her in my arms on that couch. _

_She's looking at me now, with her big sapphire eyes. The deeper I look into them the fiercer my burning love for her grows. Oh, she smiled; her wide grin just melts my heart and brings me to a place where only the two of us can be together. _

_She's walking towards me now. She's leaning into my face and I push forward, closing the space between our lips. I kissed her softly, lovingly. I want to let her know that our love is the most important thing in the world and that that sweet kiss overcomes all._

_What's happening? Why are her lips fading away from mine? It's getting dark! I can't see! I scream for Giselle, reaching out into the fading light. Purple-black smoke is thickening the air and engulfing my love._

_She's trying to escape. I can feel her fright and anxiety. I can do nothing for I am somehow bonded to the chair I am sitting on. I scream louder; reach with more force, but to no avail. _

_Giselle is swept into the darkness and I can hear her screaming and shrieking in pain. And I can feel it all. I can feel her trying to push away the smoke but it's thick and heavy on her skin._

_The smoke particles pierce her smooth skin like little needles, far worse than acupuncture because they go deep down, aiming for one thing._

_Her heart. Our heart. I feel her life force weakening; she is dying and I cannot help her. I scream some more, but end up coughing the smoke out of my lungs._

_My ears are ringing and then there is silence. I breathe heavily knowing that it was over and that she was finally dead. Her sweet kiss being the last one we'd share._

_I bend my head down in defeat but bring it up again at the sound of a loud roar coming from the smoky enigma, straight ahead. A giant purple dragon head comes to me and swallows me. There's no escape._

"GISELLE!" Robert screamed as he woke from the horrible and vivid dream he experienced. Everything felt so real; the touch of her lips, the hot and thick smoke that polluted the air.

Robert knew at once it was the mind games of Narissa who had been watching him writhe in agony in front of him. She had her arms crossed, and her body leaned on her right leg. Robert lunged at her.

He ran towards her, wanting nothing more than to separate that evil head from that evil body. Sparks of purple and green flew everywhere as he charged into the magical force field that Narissa had strategically planted between them.

Robert bounced back and he hit his back against the bare wall and his head whip-lashed as an effect. He grunted in shock; eyes wild, sweat dripping from his body. He felt like a madman.

"Have sweet dreams?" said Narissa, in a false, sweet tone with a matching expression of mock innocence.

"What have you done to Giselle?!" he shouted, feeling just as ferocious as a grizzly bear on the loose. He had inferred that something _must_ have happened to her as the scene played in his mind.

"Don't be ridiculous, she feels nothing. Although I _had_ to connect ur minds magically so that the dreams I happily give you will be just as real as the fact that I am going to drive you insane—literally." Narissa spoke in a conversational tone and Robert clenched his fists, trying to control his bloodthirsty agenda.

"Let me go, or—," Robert started, speaking through gritted teeth. "Or what? You'll _sue_ me?!" Narissa laughed again, throwing her head back freely.

She came up close to the force field and Robert did the same until the only thing separating them was the force field that acted like Robert's cage.

"I swear by my own stepson that I will have Hell descend upon you. By the time I am finished with you, not even the coroners will identify your terror-stricken, insanity-driven, messed up face. Giselle will never forgive you for leaving her, and you will have died knowing _you_ couldn't catch her when she fell." Narissa whispered this but there was force in every single word.

Robert didn't flinch but was taken aback at how mockingly she used their secret exchange of words of love.

"Bring it on, bitch," Robert threw back, giving her the most intense glare he could assemble on his tired face.

Narissa threw her hands up in the air and hissed a magical command that sent Robert flying across the room, hitting the wall, and finally falling down unconscious.

-o**O**o-

Giselle didn't stay on the floor too long, just long enough for her to recover from that attack of her memories she was fighting so hard to bury in her mind.

Giselle reluctantly got up, being careful not to agitate the numbness of her bottom and the blisters on her feet. She slowly mopped up the spilt water with a thick wad of paper towels and steeped herself a quick cup of tea.

She brought her mug to the living room area and slumped on the couch. She tried to think of a plan on what to do with her aching heart, and the large hole in the center of her chest.

She glanced at the wall clock, east of her position. It read 10:34 am.

Morgan was supposed to be at school two hours ago. Giselle didn't want this problem to affect Morgan's schooling but it was too late to do anything about it so she just let the girl sleep in.

Giselle took a deep breath and realized that her lungs could not be filled with enough oxygen to satiate her.

She wanted nothing more than to lie on the couch, thinking about nothing until Robert came back. _If he ever did,_ Giselle thought. She was trying to overcome the waves of sorrow and sadness that pulsed at her.

As Morgan's mother figure, Giselle knew that she still had to be responsible and carry out her daily chores. It was a three-day weekend the next day, so Giselle decided to take Morgan to her grandmother's house. At least, it bought her three-days' time to think about her situation.

Giselle snapped out of her reverie when a sleepy Morgan came groggily out of the room, dragging her feet as she walked. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning as she gaped at Giselle through her half-closed eyelids.

They stared at each other for a long time, before Morgan stood upright, with a shocked and frantic look in her eyes.

"I'm supposed to be at school!!" Morgan shouted as she ran across the hall to her room to retrieve her towel.

"Morgan, honey, it's alright. You can stay home today," Giselle shouted after her, her voice sounding ill and raspy from not being used for speaking, but for sobbing.

Morgan thudded back to the living room with her towel slung over her shoulder, and a toothbrush in hand.

"What?"

"I said, you can stay home today. We can have some…bonding time," Giselle forced a smile, but the hole in her chest sizzled at the close mention of _his_ line.

Morgan's face lit up. A wide and toothy grin shone on her face interpreting that she was going to have a day of bonding with her mom. Giselle only hoped that she didn't ask a lot of questions about her dad because she wasn't quite ready to face that yet.

Giselle stood up and walked to Morgan, placing her delicate hands softly on her small shoulders. She ushered her to go to the bathroom and she followed behind her.

"Come on, I'm going to give you a bath." said Giselle as she tied Morgan's crumply hair with the convenient hair tie that was hung on the bathroom wall next to the mirror.

"Aww, I'm a big girl now! I can take a bath by myself!" whined Morgan who crossed her arms across her chest as Giselle tied her hair.

"Just think of this as the beginning of our bonding time today," _and a way for me to stop thinking about—_added Giselle silently. She needed some distraction, at least for today. She would put up with acting chirpy like her normal self if she had to, but she would not tolerate the memories that bubbled up inside.

Giselle helped Morgan undress and began to clean her body with the washcloth in the tub. Morgan sat quietly in the tub, looking morosely into the water and bringing her head up to grin at Giselle.

Giselle offered her a wide grin herself and prayed that it didn't look faked to Morgan. Giselle would have to work on her acting skills when she felt so empty and dark inside. She couldn't have the world tipping because it lost a chirpy, animated woman like Giselle was.

And so began the torture that Robert, Giselle, and eventually Morgan would have to endure over the time that they spent far away from each other. Neither Giselle nor Morgan would realize it but soon even their relationship would fade away.


	4. Chapter 4

I woke up and expected to be in the comfort of my own bed

Will you ever forgive me for being so late? Here is a chapter for you! I don't know if its long or short anymore…please just read it :)

I don't own Enchanted….tho I would love to get the cast's autographs painted on my bedroom wall :)

Now, on with it!

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I woke up and expected to be in the comfort of my own bed. This endless nightmare cannot be true, can it? I _will_ see my beloved Giselle again, won't I? Oh, but Narissa is right about one thing, Giselle will never forgive me. She wouldn't believe that I had to sacrifice myself to save her.

It's been so long since Giselle matured into a real woman from her animated self and because of that she is in danger. Who was it that led her into the world? Harboring her from the dangers of New York City? It was you, you fool! If you hadn't taken her in and forced her back into Andalasia then maybe, _maybe_ she would be safe.

But then Narissa would do away with her there. Then Giselle would die never knowing what true love was, and what a kiss tasted like.

You damned idiot, Robert! It's your entire fault! You've damned you both into Narissa's snake pit. It's your fault…

It's seemed like years to Robert; living in the cell that Narissa imprisoned him in. She brought him food—if you can call stale morsels food—and water. But she only brought him provisions enough to keep him alive. Living, she left it up to Robert how to handle.

Sometimes she would come and torture him by leaving images of a dying Giselle in his mind. Other times, she would leave him in the cell and would not come to see him for days at a time.

Time was excruciatingly slow in Volrutisia. It was a magical land, similar to Andalasia but evil in every sense of the word. The land was barren, damp with the fog of malice hanging in the air. The light never showed, for there was no sun, only a torpid glow of gray that never set.

The trees were bare and gray, grass was minimal and in the form of curling weeds. Everything was gray and empty of color. Only evil and Narissa's occasional splash of purple populated the land.

And then of course there was evil in the form of an animal. Grekback. This animal guarded the outside of Robert's cell and patrolled the entire castle, as well.

It was shaped like a wolf but much, much larger and grayer. Its back was hunched and permanently in a lunging position. Its hair was coarse and sprouted randomly on its body giving it the look of a mad animal.

Its eyes were black and a yellow glow served as its pupils. Its growl was menacing, showing yellow daggers spotted brown with unwashed blood of prey.

It would obey only Narissa's commands and looked up to her as its master. Narissa was the sorcerer who created it and thought of it as her pet. A very evil pet.

-o**O**o-

Robert circled around his cell, measuring how big it really was. He walked barefoot for he had forgotten to put on at least some slippers as he rushed out of the apartment. He was even wearing his normal nightclothes of a gray undershirt and full length striped bottoms.

Robert took every absence of Narissa as an opportunity to formulate a way out. He looked out of the only square hole that allowed dim light to pass through. He surveyed as much of the land as possible, taking in as much information for his plan to escape.

Just as he turned his head like a periscope, Grekback popped up, obstructing Robert's view and giving him a startle with his deep growl. Robert jumped back from the window and clutched his chest, breathing heavily. He took the monster to be the 'guard on-duty' and decided to plan on how to kill it later.

He stroked his chin in thought and marveled at how fast his facial hair grew. It was already about two centimeters long.

Giselle would never recognize me if I came home with a full beard and shaggy hair. Robert thought, chuckling to himself and then frowning at the prospect of ever meeting his love again.

Robert knelt down on the cold hard stone and hugged his knees. He bent his head down and started crying.

"I should've married you when I had the chance!" he cried, his hoarse voice bumping on the walls of his cell.

"Oh Giselle, Giselle….Giselle…"

-o**O**o-

Giselle was washing the dishes in the kitchen and was listening to some jazz music for some company. She was in the middle of rinsing a dinner plate when she heard a whimper in her head.

"Giselle…Giselle…"

Giselle dropped the plate in the sink, nearly breaking it and gripped the rim of the sink with her rubber-gloved hands. Her head shot up and looked straight ahead across through the window. A chill rose up her spine at the sound of the voice she was trying so hard to bury in her mind.

The flooding sink brought her out of her reverie and back to reality. She looked down at the pilling water and quickly turned the knob of the faucet. Cold and soapy water spilled over Giselle's apron and she grabbed a roll of paper towels to mop up the foamy mess.

"Oh my," she said as she knelt on the floor and continued to clean up the water. Just then someone knocked at the door, causing Giselle to look back and stare curiously at the door.

"Who could that be?" she wondered to herself. She threw away the wet paper towels and removed her gloves. She walked to the door.

Morgan was still at her grandmother's house as arranged. Giselle decided to leave Morgan there until she was able to sort out her…problems. She informed Laura that she and Robert were going through some rough patches and they needed to sort things out. Giselle hated to be away from Morgan but she didn't want to reveal anything to Morgan and risk jeopardizing her innocent childhood.

Giselle didn't even bother to look through the peephole and opened the door altogether. Ever since Morgan left, Giselle grew farther and farther away from her chirpy and 'normal' self and resorted to being indifferent and…empty. She opened the door.

"Uh, hi there. Remember me?" before Giselle stood a tall man in his mid-thirty's. He had dark brown hair wavy and unkempt atop his head and cut above his neck. He was fair-skinned yet his eyes were deep-set and colored rare amber.

His expression looked like he wasn't supposed to be there and he made the wrong decision. His head was bent and he was scratching the back of his head and switching his weight from one foot to the other.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't know you?" Giselle politely replied, almost forgetting to look sulky and somber.

"Oh right," he said shaking his head and closing his eye like he thought she would know who he was.

"I'm the guy you met back in the elevator a few days ago," he motioned to the elevator with his hands. "You, uh, dropped your hairpin and I thought you might want it back," he said this as he reached over the threshold with a pink and butterfly shaped hairpin.

Giselle started at it and realized that it must have fallen from hair because of the rain. It was a meaningless object but she reluctantly retrieved it from him and offered a smile of gratitude.

"Well, thank you, that was very sweet of you to remember me," feeling very awkward standing in the doorway, she asked him to come inside. "Please come inside, I'll make us some tea,"

Giselle forgot all about her appearance and one quick glance at her reflection off of the television made her remove her floral apron and fix her loosely tied hair in haste.

She walked to the kitchen, eyeing the unfinished plates to be washed and decided to make do with it later. She tiptoed to reach a couple mugs in the cupboard and looked back at her guest. He was examining the apartment with subtle curiosity.

"I didn't get your name," Giselle shouted from the kitchen preparing the teabags.

"Aaron, Aaron Galling. My friends call me Air," he replied as he sat on the couch in the living room.

Giselle came out of the kitchen and set the mugs of hot tea on the table. She sat in the armchair half-facing the couch. She couldn't find anything to say to fill the silence except giving him her name.

They looked at each other until Aaron decided to break the silence himself.

"Wonderful apartment you have here. Mine is across the hall, Room 1213."

"Thank you, uhm, how did you find my apartment?" she decided to ask

"Well, I did see you walk out of that elevator. This is my floor too. I walked out after you and saw you enter through this door. You looked quite shaken up," he explained, a smile still etched on his face.

Giselle worked to suppress shudder of memory by drinking a little of her tea. It was scalding, but enough to push the memory back down.

"Oh, I see….did you really come here to give me back my hairpin?" she asked, catching him off guard. She had no time for niceties and wanted to get straight to the point.

The smile faded from his face and for once he looked his age. Giselle made out laugh lines and a few other wrinkles on his face.

"No, no it wasn't," he was startlingly straightforward with his confession. "I just wanted to see if you were okay. You really _did_ look like something very bad was bothering you. And—and I got sort of worried for your being. I didn't mean to be obtrusive about me visiting you but I was just worried, I guess."

Giselle was at awe at how sincere he was with his words. _He_ wasn't always as straightforward, only when he said 'I love you,". Giselle had to keep guessing his every move other than this.

Against her better judgment she knew she had to throw him out of the apartment before anything else got out of hand. He was making her feel good, better than she had felt since _he_ left and she vowed to herself that she would close the door of her happiness until he came back. If ever he would.

She stood up and acted all businesslike. "Well, thank you for your—your genuine concern for me, Mr. Galling but I am fine. Really, I am. I'd like to ask you to leave now; I've still got a lot of chores to do here,"

He wasn't expecting this and he reluctantly stood up and walked to the door after Giselle. She opened the door widely and kept her expression poker-faced as she looked down at the floor.

He walked past her, half out the door, but he stopped and held the wrist of Giselle's hand that clutched at the doorknob. He moved closer to her, close enough to break the rules of proximity among strangers.

Giselle held her breath as he whispered to her face, keeping eye contact with her. "I'm a psychologist, Giselle; I know when something is bothering a person. By the looks of it, Robert left you and you're sulking about it. You shouldn't keep it inside, Giselle. You won't be able to fight it that way. I understand your defense mechanism. Just know that I'm just across the hallway if ever you need a friend."

Tears started forming in Giselle's eye at the mention of his name and her wall of defense was crumbling as Aaron read her so easily. He was staring intently at Giselle, knowing that he had hit a soft spot.

"Get out," Giselle whispered fragilely.

He gently let go of her wrist and accepted the farewell. He walked out and Giselle closed the door behind him. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

She was trembling all over and her breaths came out ragged. She knew that the searing pain in her chest signaled that the dormant volcano of tears was about to explode.

Despite the sun just beginning to set, and the unfinished plates to be washed, Giselle walked to her bedroom and climbed into the lonely covers. This was the safest place to break down and she did. Sobs racked her body, sobs that she thought she fought down and buried.

She cried herself to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

after much patience from my kind readers...HERE IS A CHUNKY CHUNKY CHAPTER for you all! i hope i'm getting somewhere with my story...pls review because i would love your advice on this :)...im having trouble characterizing Morgan at this point so she may be a little cloudy at this point...i'll straighten it out...don't worry... :)

i don't own Enchanted...tho i would love to sing and dance with Giselle one day..

Now, on with it!

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"God dammit it!" yelled Robert, pounding his fists on the stone walls of his dungeon cell. A cloud of dust puffed out of the nooks of the bricks and it only taunted Robert to pound harder with his fists; giving him false hope of caving in and giving him a way out of prison.

He kept punching and kicking at the walls like a child denied of his toys until he felt himself butchered enough to stop. Self-mutilation seemed to be the only thing Robert had to occupy himself other than thinking of Giselle and her flowing red hair and sapphire orbs.

Robert convinced himself of finally going insane. _How long had it been? Surely not so long_, he thought. He measured the passing of time by the rate of growth of his facial hair. By now he had grown a full beard, something that took at least a couple weeks to occur.

Not only was Robert caged like an animal, denied any social contact other than the usual 'checking up' of Narissa, but he was also getting more and more physically…frustrated. He longed to hold Giselle in his arms and perform the devilish acts that made her cry out in pleasure.

He closed his eyes and tried to think about her to numb the pain that emanated from his hands and feet from kicking the wall. He breathed deeply, trying to remember the fragrance of vanilla and caramel lotion that Giselle smoothed over her ivory skin every after…

He startled himself by hardening and quickly tried to push thoughts of Giselle out of his mind as he pushed himself down. It was of no use; the thoughts of Giselle were overpowering his male characteristics, and without any other thought, he yielded himself onto the cold stone floor, panting wildly.

_Dammit, I got my pants we_t, he thought; not that it mattered, he was by far the filthiest he had ever been since the time Morgan, Giselle, and he went camping out in the woods of Mt. Reddenbaugh. The thoughts of his family swirled in his mind, and caused him to lie face down on the cold floor, just wishing he could die than endure the pain that Narissa was causing him…

"Having fun, Lover boy?" a voice said with malice. Robert looked up to see Narissa leaning against the door, looking at him with vehemence and utter amusement at what had just taken place.

Robert felt his face grow red with anger—or embarrassment. _Just the person I want to se_e, he thought. The same question reeled through Robert's mind as she continued to sneer at him, stifling a fit of laughs; _what could you possibly do to make me feel worse than I already do?_

"It's only been a couple weeks, Robert—at least in Volrutisia—and you've proven to…break so easily. Really Robert, does Giselle think of you as a man?" Narissa taunted, spitting Giselle's name, obviously trying to provoke Robert so that she could lash out on him some more.

Again, Robert said nothing, though his blood boiled and throbbed in his veins at each word that came out of that woman's vile mouth.

"Really? Nothing to say? Well, I think it's rather uncouth of you to not reply to a woman, I might be right. But then again, I think it's rather chivalrous that you choose not to comment on my, remarks on your manhood and your precious little bumblebee." Narissa was even viler pretending to be nice, poisoned sugar coated each word, provoking Robert to his maxed out limit.

Standing and composed, Robert finally did speak. "I will not pretend that I do not hear you taunt and jeer at me every day that I am in this wretched home of yours, though I can come to the conclusion that this awful wasteland very much suits to your personality: bland, cold, and full of shit." Oh, he felt good after saying that.

To the surprise of both adults, Narissa was taken aback and almost opened her mouth into a comical 'O'. Nevertheless, she did what she was best at, zapping Robert with her purple magic.

Thrown to the floor, Robert merely laughed, embracing his fate as a deranged man. He was almost there; his plan was working so far.

"Is that the best you can do? Can't you say something to insult me some more? Oh wait, wait, I bet you had to write down those comments and memorize them on a piece of paper before you came to see me, eh Narie?" he shouted at her, his voice filled with insanity.

She zapped him some more, which caused Grekback to appear at Robert's cell window to watch what was going on. Robert, still defiant, turned his head to the window and stared at the great animal with amusement, but still with the hint of fear in his eyes.

"Oh there's your little puppy. How are we today, dear Greky? Honestly, Narie, I think you need to feed the poor animal some more. The whole anorexic wolf thing doesn't suit him." Robert doubled over and laughed at his own comment, seeing that he had finally touched the soft spot of Narissa.

Robert didn't know where the growl came from—either from Grekback, or from Narissa herself—what he did know was that at an instant, Narissa was standing over him, one hand grasping his face, the fingernails digging into his cheeks.

Narissa's face was inches from Robert's and she spoke softly but with much intent to shout at him.

"When I get back from New York tonight, I can assure you that I will give you the most painful torture I've ever given you yet," with that, Narissa spat on his face.

Robert laughed again, wiping the saliva off of his eyelids. "What ladylike behavior, Narissa! I could certainly expect more from a high-class whore such as yourself!"

Fumed with rage and temper, Narissa struck him hard on the head and he lay limp on the floor unconscious.

"Grekback, guard the castle while I'm gone, I'll meet you at the portal hole in a while." Narissa instructed the creature as if it were a human. And just like a human being, the animal nodded its large head once, never taking its glowing eyes off of Robert's unmoving body.

As soon as Robert heard Narissa's shoes clacking away from his cell, he awoke from his 'unconsciousness' and smiled at himself, proudly. He had gotten the information that he wanted. He didn't want to foil the plan, so he had to take it step by step, and the first call to action was getting some if not a lot of information on how to get to and fro from Volrutisia.

Faking his hysteria was one thing, and throwing snide comments at Narissa was too much fun.

He stood up and walked to the east wall to sit down against and massaged his neck. The blow to the head of Narissa hurt his neck and he could bet that he heard it snap when she struck him. He promised to slap her before he escapes the magical wasteland. That much he owed her.

"Alright, what have I gotten out of her so far?" he thought aloud, his voice echoing off the lonely walls of the cell; he'd gotten used to it.

_When I get back from New York tonight…_

"that means she _does _leave the place to do something," Robert thought.

…_I'll meet you at the portal hole in a while…_

"That's it! A portal hole! Oh why didn't I think of it before? That's how Giselle got into the real world, it's most certainly the only way for other people to get around the universe." Robert shocked himself. He was an ethical man; he always planned out everything and lived his life by facts of life and nothing more. He had no faith in anything except his work and his love for his daughter.

That was before he was introduced to Giselle, the love of his life. She taught him things that couldn't be read from a textbook.

"Giselle…don't worry, I'll be back home to you soon…" Robert drifted off to sleep; picking up where he left off in the fantasy that he was living with his vanilla and caramel coated Giselle.

-o**O**o-

"…_after we baked cookies, me and Grandma Laura went swimming! I had fun!"_ beamed Morgan over the telephone.

Giselle almost cried at the sound of Morgan all happy at her grandmother's house. It was hours away from New York and the distance was very evident in the raspy connection of the phone.

"That's great, sweetie," Giselle replied, a silent tear running down her cheek, despite herself. She wiped it away. "Well, I'll pick you up in a couple weeks, okay? Hey, your vacation is almost here, what do you want to do, Morgan?"

"Hmmm…" innocence rang in Giselle's ear, "let's go to Seaworld with Daddy!"

The smile on Giselle's face faded quickly at the very mention of the term of endearment. At least now, she didn't burst into tears. She was growing stronger and stronger and she learned to close up the hole in her chest as best she could.

Giselle didn't want to lie to Morgan. "Oh, sweetie, I don't really know when your Daddy's coming back from his business trip," Giselle closed her eyes to stop from revealing the quiver in her voice.

"Business trip? Mommy, I thought you didn't know where Daddy was?" Morgan asked innocently. Giselle could picture the puzzled expression on her cherubic face. She caught on quickly.

"Oh, well, wherever he is, sweetie, I don't really know when he's coming back. Listen, I've got to get to work soon, and I've got a million things to do here at home. You take care, okay? And don't give Grandma Laura a hard time. I miss you so much, Morgan. And I love you." Giselle didn't really have a lot of things to do. She had a lot of time on her hands and she was able to make the apartment spotless—without the vermin to help her.

"Okay, mommy. I miss you too! I love you! mmmmwwwah!" Giselle smiled at Morgan's attempt to reach her a kiss over the phone.

"Mwahhhhh!" Giselle replied and put the phone back into its cradle. She put her hands in between her thighs and sighed deeply, looking around the living room.

It really was clean and Giselle could almost imagine a faint sparkle of cleanliness around everything. _Oh if only I sparkled like that inside_, she thought, looking down at her hands.

She almost dozed off in that position on the telephone chair, with her head bowed down. What woke her up was a knock on the door.

She jumped up from her half-sleep and crept up to the door. She tiptoed so that she could look through the peephole. She gasped at what she saw.

It was Aaron again. He looked rather uncomfortable in the hallway, shifting his weight on one foot to the other, hands in his pockets, and his ocher eyes zipping this way and that.

Giselle stepped off the balls of her feet, landing with both feet planted on the ground. Her hands were on the door and she tilted her head to the left as she thought of reasons why the man she was trying to avoid came up to visit her that day.

She quickly thought of a plan to get rid of him. She decided to scramble for her coat and bag and would ignorantly open the door as if she didn't hear him knock. Then she would excuse herself to head off to work. _Brilliant_, she thought.

Aaron knocked again, this time more rapidly. Giselle indeed scrambled for her things and almost forgot to put on her shoes on the way out.

With coat and bag at hand, she smoothed her hair and took a deep breath. She reached for the doorknob and faked a surprised gasp as she saw Aaron in the middle of knocking again.

"Aaron, what an unexpected surprise," _too much sugar coating, Giselle_ she thought to herself. "I'm sorry, did you need something? I'm off to work you see…wouldn't want to be late." Actually, she didn't have to be early, she was always punctual and as the boss of the fabric designing company, she had rights to be just a bit late for work.

"Well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I acted the other day. I'm a stranger to you and I had no right to act the way I did to you. I'm sorry again." He smiled a charming smile and Giselle almost melted right there in the door way. At the same time, though, she was feigning her composed demeanor because she wanted to scream at him for making her feel the way he did.

"What you did was very obtrusive, yes, but I suppose I can forgive you for that. Now if you'll excuse me," Giselle was about to walk out the doorway when he blocked the exit with his body.

Giselle took this as a sign to bolt right out of the apartment and keep running, but instead she stayed glued to the spot. She wasn't sure if it was because of fright, or because he was staring her down with his beautiful amber eyes.

_Did I just think of them as beautiful?_ Giselle thought, taken aback by her reeling thoughts.

"You have to understand, my sudden action was the only way to make you face your true feelings about everything. There's no good in hiding from yourself," arrogantly, Aaron read Giselle like an open book, and she hated being so vulnerable around him.

But the things he said just drew Giselle closer to wanting to know more about him. He probably knows more about Giselle then she give him credit for.

"Crying is okay, Giselle, it helps a lot. You're a strong woman, Giselle, you can fight this. You can fight that Robert left you." he continued to penetrate into Giselle's eyes with his, longing for the truth to come out from her own lips.

"How dare you talk about Robert like that?!" Aaron backed down at the alarming intensity in Giselle's voice. "How dare you keep coming up my door unannounced and talk to me like that?! I don't even know you and you presume to know SO much about me! Leave me alone!"

Giselle was breathing heavily. She hadn't felt that angry in a long while and the surging blood running up to her head was making her feel dizzy. She suddenly didn't feel like going to work at all. Instead, she walked back into the apartment, turned around and slammed the door in Aaron's face. Literally. As she slammed the door, she heard a sickening crack and a yelp of pain soon after.

As Giselle stood in the apartment, she reflected on the incident that just occurred. She may not like being read so openly, but he was only trying to help. And it was kind of soothing that someone actually understood her situation as much as she tried to cover everything up.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. _This Aaron Galling is going to be a cramp in my side isn't he?_

Oh, but a handsome cramp on her side.


	6. Chapter 6

This chapter gets darker in terms of Robert's situation. People, you have been warned of the dark side…you might wonder how Robert got to be so…shady…but I guess a reread of the previous chapter would set things right :D you've waited long enough for this chapter!!!! hahaha i finally got around to typing out my chapter...i had my outline with me all the time and finally got up off my ass (figuratively) to write this :) hope you enjoy :)

disclaim, disclaim, disclaim...

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_It's been long enough. I've _waited_ long enough. I've finally discovered a way to get out of this fucking place._

As Robert reminisced about the day that he said the horrible things to Narissa, he remembered how good it felt not only because she fucking deserved it, but because he literally felt good being _bad._ It was an unsettling feeling because it made him unsure and self-conscious about what was happening to him internally, but either way, _he liked it._

Robert's facial hair had grown very long and scruffy over the time that he had spent in Volrutisia and he didn't care one bit. He had taken it to his fancy that his physical appearance was beginning to reflect his inner-self that was changing rapidly. His brown eyes had significantly changed into a darker hue and it only accentuated the 'grizzly appearance' that he was beginning to embody. His clothes were tattered in all the wrong places and it was stained with blood and dirt and dark magic.

_Dark magic._ Oh, how the prospect of being able to control it was so tempting and thrilling that it sent chills up his back. The whole day Robert was thinking of a way break out of the dungeon cell and he knew that mortal weapons would not be able to surmount the rune symbols and spells that bound the room shut. It was only during mid-morning, while Narissa had gone away again, that it struck Robert that the only way to escape is to make use of dark magic. Fight fire with fire. He had to find a way to get some of this magic because he obviously had none in his veins so he had looked around his cell and noticed how the walls, ceilings, and floor were splattered with purplish-green stains that had sparkled a dim black in the faint white light that poured through the small window. These were the stains of the magic used upon Robert for torture. He went over to the stains and ran his hand over them. The edges of the magic blots were crusty and crumbled under his heavy hand but the center, which was far from drying up, was a gooey yet creamy, smooth emulsion that sparkled brightly as he touched it.

This was what he needed. The residual magic that Narissa used upon him was enough to break open the wall and defeat Grekback. The only obstacle after that would be finding a way to the portal hole from which Narissa moved to and fro in the magical universe. Robert ecstatically scooped up the remaining magic in his room and carefully placed the thick brackish liquid in the feeding bowl that he had in the far corner of his cell. He noticed that he had some stains on his clothes and in his hair so he brushed those off too, and slopped them into the overflowing bowl.

Because of the friction of scooping the magic off the surface, its energy had reformed and now, in the bowl, it was sporting a glinting surface that sparkled purple and green and black. Robert couldn't imagine how magnificently beautiful dark magic could be. Enthralled by its enigmatic glow, Robert leaned in closer and brought his hand to touch it. As he did so, small lightning bolts emerged from the emulsion and tangled around his fingers; he laughed at the tingling feeling. He had never felt so good in a long time and he dipped his hand deeper into the bowl and the liquid grew darker and created a small whirlpool around his hand. Robert watched in amazement as the lightning sparks grew bigger and brighter and the thick liquid slowly crept up his hand and arm the smile faded away from Robert's face. He quickly jerked his hand back and the goo instantly turned into a dull purple color, stilling quietly. Robert was breathing heavily and his eyes were wild with mixed emotions of panic, amazement, and a stitch of hysteria.

This was what he needed all along. He decided to test it out on something and searched the room. In the far east wall of the dungeon cell, there was a pile of grits that seemed good enough to experiment on. He carefully carried the bowl near the piled up dirt pebbles and dropped a few globs onto it. In an instant, the small rocks dissolved into nothing. _Perfect, _thought Robert. It still troubled him though, that some kind of reaction with his hand had happened and he was apprehensive to try it again. Nonetheless, the thought of escaping was a much stronger force and he closed his eyes and pushed his hand into the dark liquid.

The power of the magic was overwhelming as it crept over Robert's skin and penetrated into his pores, seeping into his veins. His heart beat erratically as it had a hard time pumping his blood and the new substance that was mixed into it. Robert screamed in agony as he felt his veins stretch to accommodate the liquid. He felt it rush into his head and the last lucid thing he could remember was Giselle's iridescent face shrouded by purple thorns.

The 'new' Robert took over as the dark magic settled into his body. He slowly raised his hand and a small energy ball formed in his palm. He smiled faintly and it quickly turned into a menacing grin as an image of Narissa burned his mind. As his anger grew, so did the size of the energy ball and Robert threw it at the window and the whole wall crumbled under the explosive weight of the energy ball.

Oh, the power.

Cocky as Robert was, he stepped out gleefully into the bright white light under the overcast sky and searched the parameter for the hideous monster. At an instant, he heard a loud growl and felt the trodden ground emit a soft tremor as Grekback rumbled toward Robert. His first instinct was to run away and hide but the poison in Robert's veins was drugging him into an evil high that it forced him to stay and fight Grekback. On primal reaction, Robert raised his right hand and allowed anger to flood his senses and create an energy ball on his palm. He grabbed the cantaloupe-sized ball in his hand and threw it at the monster that was charging at him. Grekback bowed his head as the ball came to him and flicked it off as it came in contact with his fur. It was as if he was merely removing an oversized tick from his head.

Robert frowned and grimaced. He conjured up more energy balls in both hands now but nothing stopped the relentless monster that was a yard away and closing. All it took was one large leap and Grekback sank his teeth into Robert's left thigh. The barren land was filled with Robert's painful cry. He now used physical force to beat the dog off of his leg and he smelled the tangy iron as his blood came gushing out of his thigh. All the while Robert was screaming, Grekback stared at him with his great big yellow eyes. Robert was afraid of losing his blood and he was already beginning to feel faint. He felt his heartbeat slow down and he was losing the strength to beat Grekback off. The last thing he heard before drifting off was a voice that he so possibly tried to tune out.

"Grekback, enough. You're killing him. He's found out the secret."

-oOo-

Giselle walked around in the quiet apartment, looking into all of the rooms checking if they were clean and tidy, not quite sure why she was acting so fidgety. For the whole entire time that she was cleaning the bathrooms, changing the sheets, making herself a cup of coffee, the color of the sheets was not on her mind nor was the amount of sugar that she was putting in her coffee but a pair of golden eyes staring her down. Aaron Galling.

She asked herself questions that she thought she would never have to ask herself again. Was she falling for her neighbor that she spent a total of 15 minutes with? Was she fickle to want another man when the love of her life left her barely a month ago? Questions were whirring in her mind and they were driving her crazy. Giselle finally sat down on the couch in an effort to stop the headache that was really bothering her. She exhaled deeply and thought about him again.

She re-analyzed her actions towards him and she realized that she was acting too hostile against a person who just wanted to offer his help. She debated whether or not she should apologize for acting so immature. She even had a faint thought about what it would be like to go out on a date with him but she quickly brushed that thought from her mind and reminded her that she still loved Robert. Giselle wanted to be loyal to him even at the thought of fading away.

Shaking her head, she decided that apologizing would be a better way to make amends with Aaron and herself. She glanced at her wristwatch that read a quarter past two in the afternoon.

Aaron worked at home, transforming his apartment into a clinic where he would entertain his patients. He believed that a more comfortable setting would make his patients more at ease with him and themselves as they would open up their darkest secrets to him and relate their problems. There's nothing more intimidating than having to spill the beans in a cold and professional clinic room.

As he waited for his final patient that day, he relaxed in his reclining armchair with his hands behind his head and Chopin playing soothing arias in the background. Aaron sighed deeply and for the millionth time that afternoon, his thoughts drifted back to his next-door neighbor and her beautiful flowing red hair. His very initial intention was to help her face the truth of Robert leaving her and helping her cope through that. He wouldn't have known about the separation if the elderly, nosy women didn't gossip about everyone on the floor.

It was a Sunday morning in the lobby that Aaron, while reading the newspaper, overheard the daily tabloid news from a couple of old ladies lounging on the sofa. He was just about to divulge himself into an interesting psycho-analysis article when he heard a very familiar name.

"…_I heard that Robert left Giselle last night. It was very sad…never able to recover…" _

"…_will he come back? What will become of Morgan? This is such a terrible misfortune for Giselle…wonderful girl…horrible husband…"_

Thanks to his innate investigative skills as a psychiatrist, Aaron confirmed the news and felt overly sympathetic for his neighbor whom he never exchanged words other than an occasional hello. Aaron debated whether or not he _should_ help Giselle let go. After all, it was none of his business and he didn't want to come off as a nosy guy or worse, a stalker. Aaron believed that Giselle was a pretty girl but he didn't really feel anything up until the moment he knocked on the door and peered deeply into her big and bright pools for eyes that were shrouded with shades of fatigue and anguish.

It was at that moment that Aaron committed himself to helping Giselle at all costs. He didn't want to admit it right away, but he knew that he was falling for a woman that he knew almost nothing about.

Aaron realized that the last track on Chopin's CD was about to end and he opened his eyes to think more clearly. He wanted to try his efforts again and talk with Giselle. He had been meaning to ask her out, for coffee or something, just to help get her mind off things and so that he could spend some more time with her. He knew that she utterly despised him but he was more than willing to change that outlook.

He glanced at his wall clock to measure the time he would have. He had about two and a half hours before his patient would arrive so he knew that a quick cup of coffee would be exciting. Aaron walked towards his massive stereo and clicked the music off. He ran a fast hand through his hair in hopes of arranging it nicely. He thought about changing but settled for his dark blue button-up, long sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and black cardigan sweater. He sighed, walked out of his apartment and up to Giselle's. He braced himself and raised his hand to knock on the door.

Giselle opened her door and gasped in surprise as a man with a swollen nose stood in her doorway attempting to knock on her door. Aaron was equally surprised.

"Aaron!" Giselle exclaimed and a flood of emotions rushed through her head and she felt like sitting down again. She wanted to break his nose again for showing up in her doorway but then she wanted to—be closer to him? An odd feeling…

"Hello," Aaron put his hand down and shoved it in his pocket. He suddenly felt extremely nervous and hesitant as he felt his heart beat faster than normal. Her beautiful face was frozen in an expression of shock, and what is it? Annoyance? He felt her eyes as they stared at his nose which was bluish red and taped over to heal. Then _he_ felt annoyed and irritated as he remembered the injury that Giselle inflicted upon him.

He straightened up and said, "You broke my nose," he laughed inwardly at himself for acing so childishly.

Giselle felt her face grow hot with anger and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"You offended me! _Twice!_ Come up on my door unannounced and—did you come over here just to tell me that? Unbelievable! You are so—,"

Aaron interrupted her before she could say anything else that would set the both of them off on their endless bickering. He wanted to get past that today.

He raised his hands up in submission and quietly said, "I'm sorry," while looking into Giselle's vibrant blue eyes, almost getting lost in them.

Giselle calmed down almost instantly as she thoroughly believed him. There was something so sincere and meaningful about the tone of his voice that it was as if Giselle would believe anything that he would say.

Silence enveloped the both of them for a long while. They were waiting for the other one to say something because it was obvious that they both wanted the talk to last longer. Giselle bit her lip and began to play with her fingers. Aaron looked around and realized something, smiling gleefully as he did. Giselle looked up at him, curiously.

"Would you like to move our conversation to a place over than your doorway?" Aaron asked with a chuckle.

_I thought you'd never ask._ "I'll get my coat."

Aaron brought her to the nearby coffee shop and explained that although he would want to spend more time with Giselle, he had an appointment soon and they would have to return to their apartments.

Giselle found it to be so liberating that she could have a good time with another adult and not have to think about _him._ They talked about their likes and dislikes—their interests and they both had a lot in common. They both enjoyed old movies, the ones in black and white, reading was among their top favorites, and they both agreed upon New York City to be the most enchanting and exciting place in all the world. And they both knew that they were defiant in their beliefs and stands; that they didn't give up their side of the debate. While they talked and laughed and sipped their coffee, time sped by quickly and they found both of them having a hard time pulling themselves away from each other.

Reluctantly, Aaron and Giselle walked back to their apartments and agreed to meet again tomorrow for lunch. Giselle closed her door and yelped in delight while clapping her hands like a little girl. She skipped into the kitchen to wash a couple of dishes that she ironically forgot to wash and just as she was about to reach for the first dish, the smile on her face faded away and images she tried all day to suppress had resurfaced and taken over.

A jolting feeling of pain had struck Giselle's leg and moved up her thigh as she was feeling her throat suddenly close up. She felt as if her whole body was being bound and tightened and all the while the fire in her thigh was throbbing and she touched her leg to make sure that she wasn't bleeding. She was screaming and moaning in pain and Robert's tortured face was burning her mind and she screamed even louder.

After what seemed like an eternity, the pain faded from her thigh and the familiar ache in her chest had returned. She slowly opened her eyes. She was panting and sweat was beading on her forehead. Outside, birds were chirping and the sun was brightly pouring in its rays through the window. Giselle began to cry and let previously dormant sobs to rack her body.

Some time had passed and the sun gently moved out of her window, Giselle still had the dirty dish in hand. She was sitting on the floor and resting her head against the counter, hair was in disarray across her face and she breathed raggedly but quietly in exhaustion.

She whispered.

"Why—why are you still here?"

* * *

long enough? :D


	7. Chapter 7

Oh c'mon, you know you love me even if this took so long :D squeee and yeah Robert will finally get some action here and I hope I take you by surprise!!! Hehe please enjoy this...its the longest chapter i've ever written hehehe...its a really exciting chapter! ok enough of this

disclaim, disclaim, disclaim...

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Robert woke up in his cell sweat damp on his body as he recovered from another terrible nightmare about Giselle's death. Breathing heavily, he recollected the day before and a familiar sting reminding him of his stupid mistake but only to find that his left thigh was neatly wrapped in white gauze and the sting was only a telltale sign of antiseptics. Before he could even come to wonder who in the world had carefully treated him, the prison door swung wide open and gave way to the woman who made Robert's blood boil in an unexpected way.

Robert testily stood up, not applying a lot of pressure on his left leg. He stared up groggily at Narissa, fully aware that he had been asleep for more that a day by the way that his bones creaked as he rose from the cold floor.

He was puzzled at the blank, almost serene expression on her face and waited for the sneer that usually twisted Narissa's face. He waited for something to happen and then Narissa did the unexpected. She swiped her draping cape off the floor behind her back and bent her head and torso down in a respectful bow that let Robert speechless with shock. Narissa rose from the unanticipated gesture and, with a demure wave of her hand, magically removed the force field that separated the two people. Somehow Robert didn't feel the urge to lunge at her and tear her head off. Instead, he stood quietly and waited for something even more unexpected to happen.

"Robert, do you believe in fairy tales?" Even Narissa's voice was soft and sincere that Robert had almost believed that she had changed. He looked at her with a puzzle expression and carefully thought about what to reply.

The day that he had met Giselle had opened his eyes to a world in a world and the majesties that it held. She had helped him procure faith in the seemingly unbelievable truths about life and for that, he was forever grateful. Yes, of course, he believed in fairy tales.

A clear look passed on Robert's face and Narissa understood his answer.

"When Volrutisia was born, a family had ruled over the land and swore to protect it from any obtrusion that could possibly destroy the strong foundation of tradition and culture of the land. This family ruled for hundreds of generations and the bloodline was strong among the men in the royal family." Narissa paused to make sure that Robert was still listening and continued.

"Other kingdoms were envious of the unity and other that was strongly evident in Volrutisia and soon these kingdoms fought over the land in hopes of expansion of territory, gold, and the head of the king that presently ruled at the time. Fearing their imminent death, the relatives of the king bade their goodbyes and fled out of the land to same themselves. Ears of war had passed over the land and soon Volrutisia was wasted into the vast empty bowl that you see now.

"After many decades, some Volrutisians had drifted back to the mainland including some members of the royal family. One of them elected to valiantly take the duty of restoring Volrutisia to its original grandeur and she would eventually take over as the new ruler. The only problem is, I am only a half-blooded descendant.

Robert did not see this coming. From the sincerity and quiet conviction in Narissa's voice, he could tell that she had told him the truth and that Volrutisia really was s grand kingdom—however evil it had been, though he didn't understand what she h meant by being only a half-blooded descendant.

Sensing his confusion, Narissa continued to explain.

"You see Robert, in order to give Volrutisia its rebirth as a new kingdom, the power must be pure within its current ruler—as it had been in the beginning—and that person must be a direct descendant of the First ruler of the land. I've only found out just recently that I am not the true heir to the Volrutisian throne. It is you, Robert."

He nearly choked back a breath trying to understand her last statement. _That _ought to be at least one lie that she had spoken. And yet, an elated feeling had swarmed into Robert's veins and something similar to adrenaline had made Robert feel dizzy with an overwhelming feeling.

"I understood y mission very well and I love my country so much. I would sacrifice my own life just to let Volrutisia live and so I did everything in my power to restore this great kingdom. My initial plan was to venture out into the different worlds that are efficient and progressive to learn from them. That is how I ended up in New York. I planned to study the political and ecological patterns of that world and relate it to Volrutisia's current situation!" She sounded more like a queen now then ever before and Robert was at an almost awe at how a person could be so nationalistic and patriotic towards her country. But he remembered the cruelties that Narissa pushed upon him.

"If you're so keen on saving your own damned country then why do you still need me?! Find a way despite you being a half-blood! I could be at home with my _wife_ right now it weren't for you!" Robert's voice was cracking badly from lack of use and the heavy emotions that were choking his throat.

"I knew that I couldn't just _tell_ you about your destiny and _will_ you to retrieve your powers! I needed to ore it out of you. To rid yourself of your memories of your previous life, you needed to find your powers on your own. The torture, the isolation, it was all a process that you had to undergo to rediscover your reincarnated self!" Sensing that Robert needed to process the information, Narissa silently walked out of the room to retrieve something. Robert was still motionless except for the necessary blinks of his eyes. Narissa returned to the room carrying with her some garments that were similar to her own except that they were in a man's fashion.

"I brought you—,"

"I don't want to hurt Giselle," Robert interrupted Narissa with a pained whisper and she gave him an exasperated expression.

"There isn't any luck in _that_ Robert. Giselle gets hurt every time _you_ do. Why, just yesterday, she all but felt all of your searing pain as Grekback relentlessly gnawed on your thigh, Narissa motioned to his leg and continued, "Yes, she is in pain for you."

"What have you done with her?!" Robert shouted but shut his eyes quickly and balled his fists, willing himself to calm down so that he could get in control of his raging powers.

"Oh, it's not me, my prince. It is you, yet again! You've had magic in your blood since the day you were conceived. You didn't have much in control but nonetheless, it was still there. Now that you are regaining powers, everything that you are deeply connected to become intertwined with your powers and fate and is trapped within the uncontrollable entrapment of your powers. But I shall teach you to control them. It is destiny."

"If my powers affect the people I love so much, then is my daughter involved?" Somehow, Robert already knew the answer to his question but he just wanted to make sure.

Narissa shook her head. "Morgan is a child, Robert. A child's mind is so innocent and too pure an element that even dark magic cannot hamper with. Tell me, my lord; are you ready to join me here?" She stared Robert down but without the ferocity that she usually held it was precariously replaced with respect and maybe a little bit of humility.

Robert thought deeply about what he should say as he paced around the room; Narissa's eyes, never leaving his trace of steps. The offer was so enticing that he had almost said yes right away. The darkness in him was very evident on his face and prominent in his heart that he ad really started to believe that he was evil. On the other hand, the old Robert was resurfacing and clawing at his mind telling him not to take the offer and find a way to get out of there. The old Robert forced compelling images into his blackened mind: Giselle and him walking in Central park, hand-in-hand; chasing Morgan around the apartment; passionate lovemaking with Giselle from dusk 'til dawn. These images put a slight smile on his face and warmed his cold heart. He had to put two-and-two together.

He knew that once he had full control of his powers, he would be able to defeat Narissa and finally escape out of Volrutisia. If he had accepted the offer, his plan would be executed and he would finally return to his love back in New York. He understood the consequences though; t he became too in-depth with his powers and evil self, then he might lose himself forever and he might never be able to return home or even remember that he had once loved a beautiful woman. This plan satisfied both Roberts and finally, after a long time of pacing, Robert looked at Narissa squarely in the eyes and spoke.

"Teach me."

Narissa's face brightened up. "Yes, my lord."

-oOo-

The apartment was spotless clean. The dishes were carefully arranged according to color and design on the face of the plate. The CD's on the stereo shelves were alphabetized and then organized into the different genres they held. After these tings, Giselle had to move on to other projects to keep her buy and her mind off of certain things. She tried out painting, reading, jogging, and other recreational activities to keep her mind off of all things Robert. Unfortunately, she could only keep her mind off _one_ person so her mind had always drifted back towards Aaron Galling.

Giselle didn't want to understand whether or not she was falling in love with her neighbor. She didn't want to seem fickle for choosing another man just after one had left either way though, Giselle was more than entitled to moving on _because_ she was so hurt so badly by his leaving. Despite the growing feelings in her dormant heart, Giselle didn't want to just let go of all the memories of what had been. It wasn't as if Robert had never existed because he _did_ and without him Giselle would have been lost in a new world, never knowing what a true love's kiss felt like because he _had_ been that for her. He had been her first everything.

Curiosity got the better of her though, and after contemplating, during her jogging session, whether to call Aaron or not, she couldn't stop asking herself silly questions like, what is he doing at this moment? is he doing something interesting? So, to satiate herself, she decided to call him over after she showered.

Giselle sprinted on her last street that lead up to her apartment and then slowed to a walk as she neared the front door. She unplugged the earphones form her ears as she walked up the porch and detached the Velcro strip of her iPod's armband pouch. Still panting heavily from her exercise, she took a moment to catch her breath as the cold air from inside the building rushed into her face.

After allowing her system to settle down, she tiredly drudged up the stairs, steering away from the temptation of using the elevator for—various reasons.

She hurriedly unlocked the door to her apartment and rushed to the bathroom to take a hot shower to unwind her muscles and help her relax enough to think about what exactly she was going to say to Aaron when she called him. Did it really matter if she thought so hard to think of something to say when she was just going to invite the guy over? All it took was a sentence—a favor, really—and the rest of the day would move smoothly.

Procrastination was one of Giselle's many talents and after enough time to let the sun sink lowly in the sky, she finally called Aaron.

It took three rings before he picked up the phone and when Giselle heard the receiver click into action, an unexpected flutter of her heart caught her by surprise.

"Hello?" A rather gruff voice greeted Giselle and he wondered if he had been sleeping.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. Hi, it's Giselle." She couldn't keep her voice from quivering and she really couldn't comprehend why, after knowing the man for such a short time, she would feel like this over a phone conversation.

"Giselle! I—no, I wasn't sleeping, I was just ah—resting." An uneasy chuckle crackled through the reception and Giselle breathed a sigh of relief knowing that she wasn't the only one who was nervous.

"Well, I hope I'm not disturbing you, I just—I've done almost everything in the world possible to make my apartment look like a model home and I've already begun other things to do and if I don't get to talk to human life form soon—," Giselle realized that she had been rambling and she bit her lip to stop her from talking. The silence on the other end of the line told Giselle that Aaron wasn't keeping quiet to allow her to continue but he was actually keeping himself from laughing out loud.

"Okay, so I think I'd really like your company. How's that sound?" Giselle said, relieved that she got it out with minimal embarrassment.

"Do I have a choice?" An amused smile lingered in Aaron's voice but Giselle didn't give herself enough time to get mad at him for that.

"Look, would you just come over?"

"Ha ha. I'll be right over, Giselle." The phone clicked off and she felt the same flutter in her chest at the mention of her name sounding from his voice.

A couple moments had passed and a soft knock on the door interrupted Giselle's reverie. She stood up from the armchair near the phone and took a deep breath. _Silly Giselle, why are you so tense?_ She chastised herself for acting so flighty towards Aaron.

She marched up to the door and it revealed a tall man dressed in khakis and a body-hugging, long sleeved shirt. She had to remind herself to breath in order to greet her visitor.

"Thanks for coming." Giselle spoke with a sincere and warm smile that was answered with an equally vibrant grin and the unconscious hand-through-hair gesture that Giselle found so appealing.

"It was my pleasure. I was actually thinking about calling you over myself. You know, for purposes of change of scenery." He smiled again and this time, Giselle blushed. She understood what he had meant; they had never gone anywhere except the coffee shop nearby and here, in her doorway.

"Well, Mr. Galling, in my efforts to change the scenery, would you kindly escort me to dinner?" Giselle was enjoying this teasing, flirtatious behavior they were both exhibiting.

"Are you asking me out, Ms. Philips?" a smug smile played on Aaron's lips and Giselle couldn't help but stare at them.

In defeat of the whole teasing game, Giselle sighed. "Only if you'd like to, Aaron." Then she smiled her most devilish smile and it was Aaron's turn to stare at her.

"I'll get my coat."

-oOo-

After debating whether Japanese or Mexican food was what they wanted, they finally settled down to eat at the newly opened Italian restaurant several blocks away from the apartment building. Gallantly, Aaron opened the door for Giselle who bashfully walked in. It was fairly dim inside and they both had to squint to make their way through

They were greeted by an exuberant waitress who led them to a small red vinyl booth lit only by a single candle. Aaron helped Giselle shimmy out of her trench coat and put it up on the coat rack that was placed outside the booth. She began to offhandedly wonder if Aaron really was for real and if he was being so gentlemanly just for show. She didn't want to invest her emotions in something that wasn't real. She wanted to be careful with Aaron and take it slow because the _last time_ she gave her heart to someone, it turned out that he'd yank it right out of her chest.

"Giselle? Did you want something to drink?" Both the waitress and Aaron gave her quizzical expressions. The waitress, Tanya, had asked Giselle if she wanted something to drink but she obviously seemed sidetracked.

"A—uh, water? Would be fine, thanks." Aaron murmured their drinks to Tanya and ordered something else to start.

"Giselle?" Aaron placed a gentle hand on Giselle's and looked at her with his warm eyes shining with concern.

"Yeah? Oh, don't look at me like that. You know that I'm okay." And then she smiled an all too bright grin to prove her point. Aaron frowned at her.

"If this is anything about Ro—," Giselle put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from saying his name. She looked at him with sure eyes.

"No, no. Please, Aaron I don't want to ruin our—our date. I do believe that I care for you enough not to bring him up again."

"I care for you too, Giselle. A lot. And that's why I want to help you." Aaron reassured Giselle by putting an arm around her and she scooted closer to him. At that moment Tanya arrived with their drinks. Giselle had barely noticed her because an overwhelming feeling of realization swept through her mind.

"And…is that only why you care for me?" Giselle asked in a small voice. She just had to ask him because now she was afraid that he didn't like her at the same level as she did.

Aaron put up a confused expression on his face for a couple of seconds before understanding replaced it.

Tanya came back with the food Aaron had ordered for the both of them and she quietly walked away sensing the tension coming from the couple. Aaron removed his arm from around Giselle and it only made her feel worse. It was a mistake to invite Aaron for dinner if he was just going to shove her off like this. He straightened up in his seat and looked at Giselle again.

"Giselle," he started. She already had a feeling that this was an ultimatum. So he _was_ just trying to help her forget.

"If you think that I only care for you _because_ of him, than you are a sillier girl than I give you credit for." Aaron smiled lovingly and all the worries in Giselle's heart faded away at the soft touch of his fingers caressing her cheek.

"It's just, I'm so scared, Aaron. I-I don't know how to give myself away to another person and most of all, I don't know how to forget." Giselle brought her hand up to her face to hold onto his and she bowed her face into it.

They remained silent for a while before they realized that the food would go cold. Giselle could only pick at her angel hair pasta figioli so Aaron finished it off. Aaron called for the bill to be sent and began to take his wallet out. Giselle told him not to, saying that she was the one who invited him to go out.

"No, please. I got it. How gentlemanly it would be if I let the woman pay for my dinner." Aaron smiled a sexy smile right then and Giselle resisted the urge to close the small space between them but always, _always,_ _his_ face would show up.

He pulled out some bills and signaled Tanya to come and retrieve the money. He asked that she keep the change and gently nudged Giselle to move out of the booth. She silently got up and refused to look at him. She didn't want to cry but heightened emotions always made her want to cry. She removed her coat from the rack and put it on herself, not allowing Aaron to help her into it.

Aaron got up as well and got his jacket. He didn't wear it but held it in his left hand. He was worried that he had struck a serious nerve with Giselle but he was seriously beginning to fall for her. As they walked together, he debated whether to hold her hand or what. He resorted to placing his right hand slightly on her back. That wouldn't send off a wrong impression would it? He merely wanted to guide her out of the restaurant and keep a protective hand on her while they walked on the dark streets.

Slowly, he snaked his hand around her waist because she began to shiver. It was a cold night in New York and the streets were ironically empty. They walked in silence until Giselle breathed a sigh of relief as the apartment building came up in sight. She fumbled for her keys and opened the door.

Aaron escorted her to her apartment and stopped at his usual position in the door way. He put both hands on each side of the threshold and leaned in. Giselle turned around to say good night in a cheery tone but she was swept away at the smoldering eyes that were now looking into her own. She bit her lip but moved closer into his warmth as Aaron leaned down to touch their noses together. He had already closed his eyes and was just waiting for permission but then Giselle backed away ever so slightly.

"I-I can't," she breathes against his moist lips.

"Yes, yes you can," he whispers, torn.

Giselle made another hesitant sound before totally pulling away. She looked at him and bit her lip while backing up to close the door. Aaron backed up too to save himself his nose. Giselle lingered at the closed door and leaned against it. She just couldn't deny herself the elated feeling that was swimming in her head and drumming with each beat of her heart. With one deep breath, she turned around to swing the door wide open. She saw Aaron walking solemnly to his apartment.

"Aaron!" Giselle ran up to him and circled her arms around his neck to pull him down to her before finally kissing him. Both of them moaned at the feeling of finally being connected in a substantial way. Aaron instinctively wrapped his long arms around her waist and hoisted her up off the floor. Giselle broke the kiss to gasp and laugh in surprise. She put a hand on the side of his flushed face and kissed him again.

Against the warm, inviting feeling of his hot breath in her mouth; against the incredible sensation of his arms shaped around her body; against the fuzzy feeling that Giselle was experiencing that was enhanced by the exhilarating taste of his tongue, Giselle finally found the strength to put Robert away, to release herself from the chains she cast on herself that forced her to be completely bound.

Giselle gently broke the kiss and looked up at Aaron's heavy-lidded, warm amber eyes. She licked her lips, smiled and said, "Well, I believe I can," knowing that those two words held more meaning to her than anyone would ever understand.

* * *

Do you think there's something a-cooking here? A lemon? Maybe, maybe not. For you to find out! Til next chapter everybody!


	8. Chapter 8

Ok so this chapter is fluff with meaning hehe:D and this is dedicated to Katryn who's been stalking this story for a long time now and she is a loyal reader. Thanks so much for your insightful reviews ;) hope everything is cleared out also :)

disclaim, disclaim, disclaim...

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Warmth of the morning sunlight seeped into the windows of Giselle's apartment and gently caressed her face to deft consciousness. She smiled in the luminescent glow and fully opened her eyes to find herself leaning against Aaron Galling's broad chest with his arms wrapped loosely around her waist. The smile disappeared from Giselle's face as she concentrated on remembering the night before…

"_Well, I believe I can," whispered Giselle as she stared into Aaron's warm eyes. His grip tightened around her waist but Giselle pulled back to lead him into her apartment. Aaron didn't know what to expect because although Giselle was sending him all the right signals, he still didn't want to disrespect her in any way. In any case, he let her lead._

_Giselle closed the door behind them and kissed him fiercely. She moaned into his mouth as his hands explored her body—running them into her long auburn hair, along the column of her soft neck, and down the sides of her body until they stopped to massage her waist. All the while she was pulling him into the living room, occasionally bumping into the furniture. Before they fell onto the couch, Aaron gripped Giselle's sides, apparently holding onto her blouse which he intended to remove. Instinctively, Giselle put her hands on top of Aarons and pushed her shirt back down. She looked at him and he smiled warmly at her, understanding her message. He let go of her blouse and held her neck instead, pulling her against him as he gently pushed her down onto the length of the couch._

"_Don't leave me tonight," Giselle whispered against his lips. She wasn't ready to give herself to Aaron completely but she didn't want to be alone that night either. In her mind, she prayed that he would stay with her and just hold her. _

"_I won't," Aaron lifted his head to reply and to move his lips to her neck where he left open-mouth kisses. Giselle shuddered and moaned at the feeling of his tongue running a hot line against her ear and jaw line._

Giselle placed her chin in her hands which were resting on his chest. She stared at his restful face that was free of any wrinkle or crease that had made him look older. She wondered to herself how in the world she got lucky living next to the most beautiful man in the world. In her current position, she could make out the deficiencies on his face that only emphasized his handsomeness—his nose was only slightly crooked, his upper lip was thin but was complemented by a gorgeous full lower lip, and he had a few stubbles on his chin which carefully dotted his sharp jaw line. Enthralled with his face, Giselle leaned into him, touching her parted lips to his with just enough pressure to wake him up. Soon his lips formed around hers and he held her closer.

Just as she was about to pull away, his circled his arms more tightly around her body to keep her from escaping. She laughs against his lips and Aaron moans into her mouth. She kisses him passionately and he responds with the same amount of fervor. Unthinkingly, Giselle moves on top of Aaron, straddling him a little bit. Aaron moved his hand over Giselle's bottom and pushed it into his groin. Giselle gasped and whimpered while breaking the kiss.

"Wait, wait." She bit her lip.

Aaron pushed her against him again with just a little bit more force and this time, Giselle sighed and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Aaron's neck while they both moaned. She breathed heavily as waves of pleasure swept into her body and settled in a coil in her abdomen.

"Good morning to you, too!" Giselle giggled and repositioned her head on his chest to get a better sound of his heart that beat excitedly. Aaron lovingly touched her hair and nobody moved for a while until Giselle's stomach loudly signaled its emptiness. Giselle felt herself blush while Aaron laughed heartily, his chest moving up and down. She realized that she hadn't eaten anything real since lunch the previous day. After all, she had only picked at her pasta last night.

Aaron moved so that they were both sitting upright on the couch. He still had his arms wrapped around Giselle, and he cocked his head to the side with a sly grin on his face.

"Ever had a veggie omelet before?" Aaron asked with his husky, voice that was thick with sleep. It was so appealing to Giselle that even more tingling sensations coiled around her abdomen. She was preoccupied though, as she was untangling herself from the thin flannel blanket that was draped over their legs.

Not looking up, she muttered, "I think just about anything sounds good right about now." She felt soft hands cover the sides of her head and she reluctantly looked up, still flushed.

"You are beautiful when you blush." Aaron placed a feather of a kiss upon Giselle's lips and she felt as if she'd died and gone to heaven. But before the kiss could lead to anything further, Giselle excused herself to go to the bathroom and told Aaron to help himself to whatever he might need in the kitchen.

Giselle flitted to the bathroom and closed the door. She smiled to herself as the morning replayed in her mind. She walked over to the sink and splashed her face and neck with cold water to lower the hot temperature of her skin. She gasped as she looked into the overhead cabinet mirror. She looked as if she'd been up all night as the circles under her eyes seemed noticeably darker but there was something else on her face, in her eyes, that totally erased the fatigue look. Happiness. There was a certain glow that emanated from her skin and she had to touch her face to make sure it was real. Before she could get too enthralled with her face, she was distracted by a delicious aroma that was wafting from the kitchen. She quickly tied her hair up in a messy 'do and let her nose lead her to the source of the hypnotic fragrance.

"That smells simply divine, Aaron! Are you sure that's just omelet?" Giselle leaned against the island in the kitchen.

Aaron glanced over his shoulder. He looked just as much as a chef as any top culinary artist would with a small towel hanging on his shoulder and his sleeves rolled up to reveal the swift hands that were in the process of chopping some leafy vegetable. The ingredients were laid out on the kitchen counter and it surprised Giselle who noticed that he had accomplished so much during the time that she was in the bathroom. She continued to watch Aaron cook her breakfast and took note of some of the ingredients he was mixing in the egg yolk for future references. He lightly whisked the yolk and added a third cup of milk. Next, he sprinkled the mixture with some paprika and other seasonings.

"Paprika?" Giselle wondered aloud.

"Well, I sort of wanted to try something new. I like experimenting with my food, you see. If it doesn't taste good," he shrugged playfully, "then, well, we've only wasted one meal." He winked at her and continued to hum a tune that was unrecognizable to Giselle. He popped all the other ingredients into the bowl and had to cover up some other things claiming that it was his secret recipe. After drizzling the pan with olive oil, Aaron swiftly poured the mix into it and adjusted the heat to a minimum.

"It's all about the slow cooking." He winked at her and Giselle smirked. After a couple minutes, he added some tomato cubes and cheese then carefully but quickly flipped one side of the omelet to close the stuffings. Then, with a very concentrated look on his face, Aaron held the frying pan and gave a quick flick of his wrist to send the omelet flipping in the air and landing on the right side. He looked at Giselle sideways and smiled smugly. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Alright, here we go, careful it's hot." Aaron cut off a piece of the omelet and blew on it a little bit to remove the steam. He lifted the fork up to Giselle's mouth and she blew on it too before eating it. Aaron ran a quick finger to the side of her mouth as a little bit of sauce got stuck here. Giselle closed her eyes and tried to figure out the individual spices that he used. Paprika of course, parsley, and—cardamom? Giselle opened her eyes and wondered if she even had that Indian spice in her pantry.

"What do you think?" Aaron looked at her with a humble smile now and he wondered if the spices were too overbearing.

"This is so great! I'm surprised you know how to cook!"

"Well, I like to, once in a while." Aaron moved over the kitchen counter again and removed the omelet from the pan and placed it on a plate. He brought out two forks from the drawer and set it all on the island where they ate together.

Aaron excused himself to go freshen up at his apartment after they ate while Giselle cleaned the kitchen up and prepared her things for work.

"You know, you'll have to take me to your home sometime," clued in Giselle flirtatiously.

"I can cook us dinner tonight. If you'd like," Aaron said surely while gathering his jacket from the couch and folding the blanket properly.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'm actually heading out now to work. I don't usually go but I have to keep up appearances. I like working at home, but Andalasia Fashions has a nice atmosphere too."

"Would you mind if I joined you? I'll understand if you'll be too busy, I just want to know how you work." He smiled crookedly and suddenly Giselle couldn't resist.

"Oh, yes please! I'd love the company, but I have to warn you, I get really into my work when I concentrate."

"That's alright. I have _no_ problems with concentration."

-oOo-

They arrived at Andalasia Fashions in record time and while they were passing through, a noticeable silence hung in the air as people gaped at the sight of Giselle with another man. Giselle's reputation didn't precede her because all her co-workers knew about Robert and how he just left her. They were actually happy more than stunned to see Giselle cheerful as she walked closely beside Aaron who had his usual hand at the small of her back.

The floor where Giselle worked on was one of the busiest in the entire building. People were bustling around, carrying rolls of fabric underneath their arms. Phones were ringing constantly and a comfortable chatter hung in the air. Despite all these typical New York characteristics, Giselle made it her own to have a quiet work cubicle that was bigger than the rest but had a different, calm aura amidst the energy of the room. This was how she liked to work and Aaron took note of every detail of the workspace as it reflected Giselle's own unique personality. A picture of a chipmunk looking beady-eyed puzzled him but there were other pictures of woodland creatures too.

If Aaron wasn't talking to one of Giselle's co-workers, he was staring intently at Giselle and he never took his eyes off of her as he stood at a reasonable distance. She constantly grew self-conscious of his eyes raking over her demure body.

While Giselle was drawing on her worktable—an artist's desk with a brightly gleaming backlight and brushes and pencils stacked in holes atop the canvas area—Aaron stealthily walking behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders and began rubbing softly. Giselle, who was in the middle of sketching a seasonal halter dress, tilted her head to the side and moaned ever so softly. Aaron used this to his advantage and leaned his head down to kiss a certain spot that he learned made Giselle moan louder. It crossed her mind and she realized the real meaning behind what Aaron had said before about concentration.

"Mmm, I'm never going to get to finish etching the last dress of the Fall collection with you—ahh—distracting me like that." By now, Aaron's hands had encircled Giselle's body but his lips were still attached onto Giselle's silky neck.

"And I don't usually mix pleasure with—business." Giselle tried to weakly push him off but she was lost in his ministrations.

"Let them see," Aaron murmured against Giselle's skin sending shivers up her spine and Giselle could swear that she felt him smile. She never really was a woman who displayed so much affection in public but she could care less as she dropped her pencil and swiveled her seat around to firmly attach her lips to Aaron's. It felt both wonderful and scary for her to be able to connect with someone both emotionally and physically since she'd only been with one other person in her life. She felt as if she was starting anew, from scratch, as if she'd never experienced a kiss before in her life. So kissing Aaron so freely and with no restraints was captivating to Giselle.

"You're no good for me," Giselle muttered against his lips and he used this moment to slide his tongue in her mouth and memorize every inch of her mouth with it.

Aaron broke away slightly to say, "On the contrary Ms. Philips, I am the very best for you." With that, Aaron placed a hand on her back and pulled her closer.

They continued this public display of affection until a few people cleared their throats and faked a couple coughs which signaled the two to detach. Giselle wiped her mouth and blushed fiercely while Aaron groaned but let go and allowed Giselle to finish her work until he excused himself again at five thirty to prepare dinner.

-oOo-

It was only a couple weeks ago when Aaron was first introduced to Giselle. It was a shaky start, they almost hated each other but with immature feelings aside, and his main goal hardly crossing his mind, Aaron found himself wanting to love her with all his heart. He'd had girlfriends before and he'd experienced passionate physical encounters with them but they couldn't even surmount the love that he was feeling for Giselle and he hadn't even professed himself to her yet.

That was his goal for tonight. He didn't think so far ahead as to what _might_ happen after his profession but as far as he was concerned, he was going to captivate Giselle with his cooking skills and charming personality—well, as charming as he thought he could get. He checked his watch; he had a little over two hours to drum up a good dinner. He wanted to cook something light and easy to cook since he didn't really have time to make anything extravagant. He opened his freezer and scanned the frozen food products. He had salmon, pork, chicken, veal…

Veal. He'd decided to cook veal scallopini. It was a quick recipe and although the noodle bit seemed out of character, Aaron was sure that after a long day of working, Giselle would like an easy dinner to eat. He smiled at himself as he reminisced the afternoon and he paced to the stereo and played some jazz. He was in a hyped up mood.

As he buttered the veal and thawed the noodles out, he's thoughts meandered onto Giselle's face. He knew that he was moving too fast with her and she was just a little bit too willing. He didn't want to push her any further but his raging emotions were getting in control of him. He wanted to make sure that she felt the same way as he did before anything else got out of hand and he made a wrong move. He loved her but he loved her enough not to take her tonight.

More than an hour had passed and the veal was ready to be topped over the steamed noodles. He placed these in the oven to keep warm and quickly moved to get ready. He set the small table that was in the middle of the kitchen and living room and changed into a red cotton, button-down shirt after washing his face and brushing his teeth. He ran a quick hand through his God forsaken hair and put on some BVLGARI perfume. After fumbling with his sleeves and lighting a few candles in his apartment, he heard a soft knock on his door. He strode over to it and opened the door.

He felt his breath hitch as he gazed at Giselle. Her hair was still in the messy bun he saw a few hours ago but she had changed into another dress. It was dark purple and came up to just above her knees. Spaghetti-strapped and plunging into her cleavage, it hung onto every beautiful curve of her body and Aaron felt his chin drop a few centimeters. Giselle instinctively put her arms in front of her body as if to shield herself from Aaron's imposing stare.

"You going to invite me in or what?" Giselle asked playfully to distract Aaron from his current state of reverie. Aaron blinked once and gestured for her to come inside. The lights were dimmed down and the climate inside was unseasonably warm. Giselle immediately felt comfortable. Maybe it was because of the soothing aura or the way the furniture reflected each other in complement. Giselle scanned the rest of the apartment. The living room was not as big as hers but it was modernized with a full stereo and plasma TV sitting on a black table with shelves full of CDs and DVDs. The kitchen was right across from where she was and it separated itself from the living space by means of a divider that cut before it reached a pillar. A goldfish swam lazily in its bowl atop this counter.

"Would you like to see the rest of my place?" Aaron asked right before Giselle's head turned to see a hallway that led to other doors. He motioned for her to walk into it and he opened the first door that revealed a small room that had a large window. It made the room seem bigger than it did. There was a small desk in the far corner and a maroon chaise in the middle of the room with a decorative blanket draped over it.

"This is my clinic. It's better for me to help my patients if they feel more comfortable, so I had my clinic set up in my home." Aaron answered Giselle's silent question. Again, he gestured to the next room, opened the door and flicked the light on. There was a king-sized bed that took up most of the space. It faced another plasma TV with other DVDs under it and to the far wall, a desk was set up that had a lap top on it and other work things. Giselle stepped inside, lost in the masculine scent. She sat on the foot of the bed and sank in a little bit—the comforter full of fluffy down made it seem very inflated. Losing her balance a little bit, she giggled to herself and glanced over at Aaron who was staring at her again, but this time, his eyes smoldered heavily. Giselle stopped giggling and the smile faded from her face as Aaron slowly moved towards her. He stopped right in front of her and close enough for her to smell his perfume.

"Would you like to have something to eat, Giselle?" Aaron whispered seductively and Giselle giggled again. They glided out of the room and settled in to eat at the table.

"Hope you like noodles!" Aaron exclaimed cheerfully as he brought two bowls out of the oven. Salad was already at the table and Giselle helped herself to some. The fragrance of the veal scallopini tickled Giselle's nose.

"Are you kidding me? I always eat noodles after I come home from work! Have you tried the Pho Hoa noodle restaurant on 32nd?" Aaron smiled at her answer and set her bowl in front of her. They ate for a while and continued to talk more before they both got their fill of noodles. A moment of awkward silence passed and Giselle and Aaron both started to say something but laughed uneasily after.

"You go first," Giselle said sweetly. Aaron had to get it out of his system and so he took a deep breath before he began.

"Giselle, up until about a week ago, I'd almost succumbed to the fact that my life was purposeless. Yeah, I help other people when they're sick but that was all I was ever good for. And then I met you," he looked up at her then and gazed fiercely into her eyes. "Suddenly I felt a force compelling me to move forward and live life more. This force was drawing me to you and I lost all good reason to be away from you any longer. I know that you're still hurting over _him_," Giselle bent her head at this, "but, listen to me, you are the most intelligent, kindest, most beautiful woman I have ever met and I'd give anything to make you happy because—I love you." Aaron's heart was beating so loudly that he could hear it in his ears. Giselle looked up at him and a hesitant smile played across her beautiful lips before her face contorted and sobs racked her body. _Not the reaction I was hoping for…_

Aaron stood up from his seat and walked over to Giselle who was shrugging him off. His heart sank but Giselle shook her head and choked back sobs so that she could explain herself.

"I'm so sorry, I hate it when I cry. No please, it isn't because of what you think it is. I love you too." Giselle looked up at him and stroked his cheek. Aaron felt lightheaded and he smiled warmly at her. "I just—I don't think I'm going to be good enough for you if ever there may come a time that Ro—Robert will _burn_ in my memories," Giselle sobbed again but then quietly subdued herself as Aaron pressed his forehead to hers. When she was stable enough, he helped her out of her seat and walked her over to the couch. The moment they sat down, Giselle forced herself on him, closing the space between their lips and pushing her tongue into his mouth. She straddled him but Aaron gently pushed her away.

"Giselle, I can't please. This isn't right." Aaron didn't want to make love with her as a reaction to Robert.

"Why not?" Giselle moaned against his ear and Aaron balled his fists into the fabric of Giselle's dress. He was losing control but he needed to focus.

"Giselle, please stop for a minute and listen to me." Giselle stopped and placed her hands on his shoulders, looking at him, dazed.

"Whatever happens tonight, I don't want it to be a way out for you. Don't use this as means to forget Robert or get back at him. I love you but I need to know that you _truly_ love me back, Giselle." aaron looked at her with pleading eyes and she bit her lip.

"This has nothing to do with Robert, Aaron. Please, I need you." With that, Giselle leaned in and captured his lips with her own. She lightly ground herself into him and they both moaned. Aaron was half-convinced with her reply but he totally lost control. Giselle fumbled with the buttons of his shirt but she kept getting distracted by his lips that were ravaging her mouth and neck. She quickly removed it after a while and swiftly removed her high heels. Then she continued her assaults on his body.

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ok so the omelet recipe isn't real! i just imagined that those spices worked well together. lemon coming up? we'll see...


	9. Chapter 9

OMG I DID IT! this is my first ever ever lemon and please i need some feedback....i actually really procrastinated writing this because ionno i was too scared and i was embarassed with myself...RESEARCH is KEY in writing...thats what a good writer does. keep that in mind. haha please jus read this.

disclaim, disclaim, disclaim...

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Aaron groaned and then suddenly scooped her up in his sinuous arms and almost ran to the bedroom where he laid her down on the bed and moved on top of her. Giselle kissed every part of Aaron's body that was available to her while grazing her fingers along the length of his back. He hitched her lithe legs over his hip, bringing their bodies closer than before but Aaron couldn't get enough of Giselle's body so he lifted himself upon his knees while Giselle was firmly sitting on his raging erection. He deftly removed the straps of her dress that—although made his heart stop—shielded him from her goddess-like body that he planned to worship in his own way later.

Giselle almost frightened herself at how forward she was becoming but she continued to nip and breathe into his ear as Aaron unzipped her dress. Giselle felt the cool air rush to her damp and exposed body. She looked at Aaron who had a lustful expression on his face and who was intently gazing at her beautiful body. Before she could react, Aaron quickly latched his mouth onto Giselle's chest causing her eyes to roll back into her head and fall back onto the bed with Aaron kissing and sucking her breasts.

She kept moaning and grinding herself against him to help ease the tightening pressure she was feeling in her lower abdomen that was being aggravated because by this time, Aaron was gently biting and rolling his fingers across her very taut nipples. It took a while for her to realize that she was still wearing her shoes and panties, and Aaron was still fully clothes apart from his unbuttoned shirt presenting her with a chiseled view.

"Aaron, t-too many clothes." Giselle desperately tired to verbalize. She felt him chuckle against her chest and then lift himself off of her. She whimpered at the loss of his body on hers but nearly moaned again as he removed all his clothes in front of her, including his midnight blue boxers that strained to tent his prominent member. Giselle was tempted to reach out and grab it but then Aaron proceeded to remove Giselle's shoes and then drag her panties down her hips and legs. While he was removing her underwear, he trailed hot, wet kisses along her abdomen. He kept crawling down her body until his legs were at the edge of the bed. He used this moment to kick his boxers off. Giselle wiggled her hips to increase friction between her legs but Aaron placed his big hands on her hips. Giselle propped up on her elbows to look down at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"You look so fucking sexy with your eyes and your hair all mussed up like that." With that, Aaron spread Giselle's legs, inhaling her arousal, then plunged his face into her hot, wet folds. Giselle's elbows gave out and she arched her back off the bed, nearly shouting as he buried his nose into her clitoris and thrusting his tongue into her. She moaned. After a few pumps, Aaron replaced his nose with his mouth and let one hand off of her quivering hips to thrust into her folds.

Giselle's head was thrashing from side to side as Aron added two more fingers. Moans turned into shouts as Giselle felt Arron's mouth suck on her sensitive nub and his fingers curl up to rub against a perfect spot that had Giselle arching her back even more, clutching at Aaron's locks. She let out the longest moan Aaron heard her make and it almost triggered his own climax.

Before Giselle could properly come down from her high, Aaron swiftly moved back on top of he, nestling his body in between her legs while capturing her mouth in their most searing kiss yet. Between his tongue laced with the taste of her cum and his hard erection twitching on her thigh, Giselle could feel a second orgasm coiling itself in her body, ready to explode.

Frantic to give Aaron a release of his own, Giselle moved her hand down his body to grab his rock hard member. Aron moaned into her mouth, breaking the kiss and jerking into her soft hand. Giselle stroked him gently and he settled his head into the crook of her neck, kissing and licking a particular spot there.

Aaron needed to cum so badly but her needed to be inside her first. He brought his hand down to stop Giselle. He held her small hand in his and placed it above her head. He grabbed his member and rubbed it against her but Giselle was through with the teasing.

"Giselle."

Ocher met sapphire as they both glanced at each other at the same moment. They were both glistening with sweat and breathing heavily as Aaron placed his forehead against Giselle's. "Giselle, I need to hear you say it," Aaron almost growl-whispered into her lips and Giselle was more than willing to accommodate his sweet breath against hers.

"Giselle, please." She opened her mouth to speak, knowing what Aaron wanted to hear but instead, a sort of strangled whimper escaped her lips as Aaron pushed the head of his member into her folds.

"I love you." Giselle whispered before her eyes rolled back as Aaron slid further in until they were fully joined. Aaron groaned as Giselle's walls clamped around him. He wasn't going to last long.

After a few agonizing seconds of allowing Giselle to adjust to his size, Aaron sensed her to be ready as she began to roll her hips creating the most wonderful friction and they both moaned at the feeling. Aaron pulled out slowly, leaving only the tip inside, before he thrust back in, eliciting an animalistic moan from Giselle. Aaron situated his hand beside Giselle's head and braced himself as he pumped into her harder and faster.

Giselle's eyes were closed, her hair splayed across his pillow, and her lips were parted as she panted and anticipated her next release but Aaron needed her to do something else for him.

"Giselle, look at me." her eyes shot open and fixed themselves on his eyes that were turning a noticeably darker shade of gold. Giselle placed her hand on the side of Aaron's head and leaned up to kiss him. Their tongues fought for dominance before matching the rhythm of their thrusting that was gradually increasing its pace.

"I'm—_ungh—_so close, Aaron." Giselle moaned into his mouth and Aaron quickly brought a hand down to vigorously rub Giselle's clitoris. She arched her back against him and screamed his name. Her walls furiously clenched Aaron's throbbing cock until he buried his head into Giselle's hair, managing one last thrust to the hilt before releasing his seed while chanting her name like a prayer.

Aaron continually rocked his hips until they both experienced another mind-blowing orgasm. He collapsed beside her, ready to pull out but Giselle held him tighter against her.

"No, please. Stay inside me." Aaron sighed contently and pulled Giselle on top of him, breathing in her vanilla-fragrant hair while wrapping his arms around Giselle's trembling body.

They both remained in their embrace until Aaron literally had to pull out his already flaccid member. He kissed the top of Giselle's head and murmured 'I love you'. Giselle was breathing evenly signaling Aaron of her sleep. He held her closer before drifting off to sleep as well, totally spent but happy.

_I love you, too.

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OMG too much? too descriptive? not enough emotions? too short? too long? PLEASE REVIEW!


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